Ever been stumped by an acronym or jargon-laden website? It’s common. We forget that our customers may not know all the insider terms and acronyms that we know.
What’s important to remember is that no one likes to feel stupid – and not knowing terms or phrases can have that effect on site visitors. And that’s the last thing you want.
Question here is:
Does your website sound like humans wrote it or R2D2 from Star Wars?
Key principles of content /messaging online (applies to most businesses/customers):
- Consider your words wisely – avoid jargon and instead use keywords your customers use and understand. (This of course goes beyond your website into other communication materials too.
- Shorter is better when it comes to top of page content because it allows a customer’s eyes to scan and find what they want. (If a customer wants more information, they will scroll down or click to read more.)
- Clear language is better because customers can make choices faster. (Customers know what they need – speak in their language, not yours.)
- Sound human, not corporate (unless you have to be corporate sounding – most people don’t relate well to this tone, and it rarely builds relationships or engages new customers). Yes, some lawyer websites may be the exception.
Remember all web visitors have little time to read and decipher your messages and presentation. You only get 3 seconds when they first see your homepage to tell them they found what they are looking for.
Of course, you should consider your company brand and its tone/style – but unless you have crazy corporate style, be conversational. That means – write like you speak (assuming speak normally of course – ha!). Avoid things that sound overly sales-y or marketing-y (excuse me for making up words to emphasis my point).
Read other blogs in this series:
7 Key Questions to Consider When Building a Best Class Website
Does your website help or hinder your business goals?
Does your website help or hinder your business goals?
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